Things Change
by DJ Moves
Summary: Joey, Kaiba, Duke, Yugi are all in the same college. Yaoi/Shinon-ai This is their first year. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Things Change  
  
Author: JD  
  
Rating: R  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own.  
  
Summery: Joey, Kaiba, Duke, Yugi are all in the same college. This is their first year.  
  
Notes: Lets assume this takes place in the U.S. And lets also assume there's no Millennium Items. Not saying there never was, just that there isn't now and I'm not coming up with a story as of why. Maybe they were all destroyed during one of the times Yugi saved the world.  
  
Kaiba walked in his new dorm room, eyebrow raised. "Wonderful," he muttered. "Yugi, Mutt, what are the chances of us all ending up in the same room?"  
  
Yugi, still innocent, but quite older looking looked up. "Kaiba? Wow...well, Joey and I requested a room. I guess they just put you in here."  
  
Kaiba shook his head. It figured, no matter what he did, he couldn't loose them.  
  
"Why does a CEO have to go to college? Aren't you like a genius?" Joey remarked. Kaiba studied the annoying dog. Though his features still looked the same, his style of dress had changed a bit. The colorful plastic bracelets and large baggy pants tipped Kaiba off to Joey's recreational habits.  
  
"Dumb ass, I didn't have to go to high school either. But I did." [Author note: Why DOES he go to high school?] Kaiba himself hadn't changed much. Slightly shorter hair, a bit more relaxed air to himself--excluding Joey's presents. He was so annoying anyone would get irritated. Anyone but little innocent Yugi. Why does he hang out with him? They were totally different.  
  
Kaiba studied Yugi. He seemed about the same. Just not so childlike. He was wearing tight black pants, black wife beater, and black eyeliner. But he still looked like Yugi.  
  
"So who's sleeping where?" Kaiba was a bit peeved he hadn't been able to choose, but he really didn't need to be starting fights this early on.  
  
Joey shrugged. "We haven't really chose. We just got here and was catching up a bit."  
  
Kaiba vaguely remembered Yugi talking about going to an art camp over the summer. "Wonderful," Kaiba said dryly. He motioned to the bed they were sitting on. "Yugi can have that one, Joey the one right next to it and I'll take the one far away from both of you." Kaiba set his bags on the bed he was referring to and sat down, studying the room. It was pretty big as dorms go, with a window across from the door, two beds on one side, a bed against the wall with the window, and a small kitchen/rec area along the other wall. A closet and shelves were on either side of the door.  
  
Kaiba wondered how both of them had gotten into college. Yugi was as poor as dirt, while Joey was stupid as shit AND poor. He sighed and stretched out on the bare bed. It was going to be a long semester.  
  
~~~  
  
"Get off me!"  
  
"Stupid art fag! Whatchu going to do? Cry?"  
  
Kaiba rounded a corner and came face-to-face with an upperclassmen and Yugi. He stopped short, shocked.  
  
"I said get off me!" Yugi tried to hit the guy but was thrown up against the wall hard. "Offf..." the wind had been knocked out of him.  
  
Kaiba ran up and blind sided the guy. Well, what else was he going to do? Watch?  
  
Yugi's eyes went wide as his attacker and Kaiba began to fight. What Kaiba lacked in strength, he made up in strategy and nimbleness (hmmm...exact opposite than in duels...Yugi thought) and had soon given the guy a bloody nose and split lip. Kaiba yelled, "get out of here!" as the guy ran off. Kaiba wiped at his face with his fist, checking for blood, relieved there wasn't any. He glanced over at Yugi. "You okay?"  
  
Yugi nodded, unable to speak.  
  
"What was that all about?" Kaiba asked, motioning to where the guy had run, slowly walking towards Yugi.  
  
Yugi tried to speak, but finally shrugged.  
  
Kaiba lightly placed his arm around Yugi's shoulders. "Come on, lets get you back to the room. You got a cut on your cheek and you probably need to lie down."  
  
~~~  
  
Joey walked into the room, chatting with a classmate and stopped short. Kaiba and Yugi were sitting across from each other on the bed.  
  
"Stop being such a baby, Yugi. I need to clean the cut."  
  
"But it *burns*," he whined.  
  
Joey dismissed the guy, distracted. "What's going on here?"  
  
Yugi looked up, but Kaiba continued to deal with Yugi's wound. "I got in a fight," he said softly.  
  
"A guy *attacked* you. I got in a fight." Kaiba handed Yugi a cloth and stood up. "I'd pressed it against it until it stopped bleeding unless you want to wear a band aid. I gotta get to class. See you later."  
  
Joey watched Kaiba leave strangely. He fell onto Yugi's bed, deep in thought. "Kaiba's sure been acting different," he finally said.  
  
"Maybe it's the whole change of scenery. College makes everything different," Yugi shot Joey a meaningful look, but it went unnoticed.  
  
"What'd the jerk attack you for?"  
  
Yugi laid his head in Joey's lap. "I guess cause of the way I look. Like in high school. I'm really glad Kaiba showed up." Yugi began to play with the zipper on Joey's pants leg.  
  
"He didn't say anything to you? Just that you looked weird?"  
  
("You fucking faggot! Faggots like you deserve to die." echoed through Yugi's head.) He had really thought that college would be different. A place he could be himself. And belong. Like camp. But it was exactly the same as the hellish high school he had finally broke free from.  
  
"Yeah, that's about right," he said, tears forming in his eyes.  
  
~~~  
  
Kaiba looked up from his lap top. The door to his room was opening and he heard Yugi's voice along with someone else's. Yugi came in, laughing, Duke Devlin at his heels. "Jesus, Yugi, how can you stand him? I wouldn't even fuck the poor bastard."  
  
"He's not so bad after awhile."  
  
"You're coming to the GLBTA meeting tomorrow, right?"  
  
Yugi finally looked up into Kaiba's eyes and stopped laughing. He spoke really low to Duke. "Yeah, I'll be there. Keep it down around them," Kaiba barley heard.  
  
Duke smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Yup, sorry, of course. See you then."  
  
Yugi closed the door and looked at Kaiba, expecting the worse.  
  
"GLBTA meeting, hmm? Never been to one."  
  
"Don't mock me, Kaiba."  
  
Kaiba sat back, smiling. "I'm not. Just don't think you're not transparent. Everyone sees it."  
  
"Not Joey," Yugi said without thinking than instantly regretted it.  
  
Kaiba smile widened. "I knew it." He stood up and walked over to Yugi. He began encircling him. "Am I the poor bastard Duke wouldn't even fuck?"  
  
Yugi nodded.  
  
Kaiba laughed even louder. "That's classic. And you want your best friend, right?"  
  
"Kaiba, stop," Yugi said in a tear stained voice.  
  
Kaiba stopped, leading Yugi to the bed, and sitting him down. "Don't be ashamed, Yugi." He lightly ran his hand down Yugi's arm. "It's okay."  
  
Yugi blinked back tears, staring at Kaiba. "You're the first person I told. Duke just--"  
  
"Was at the meeting too?" Kaiba laughed lightly. "Ahh, it's okay. Your little fruity raver-boy best friend is just too high on E to noticed."  
  
"Joey doesn't take ecstasy. He promised."  
  
The late-night phone call Kaiba had overheard contradicted that, but it really wasn't his place to say anything. "Yeah, well, whatever. My point is that Joey's not turning you down, he's just too blind to notice. Don't feel rejected."  
  
Yugi nodded. "That's what Duke says."  
  
Kaiba hook his finger under Yugi's chin, making him look him in the eyes. "Can I come to the meeting with you?"  
  
Yugi's eyes went wide. "You're...?"  
  
"Bi-curious." Kaiba stood up, shrugging. "I've never given it much thought, because, well, even the words biggest fag won't consider fucking me. I don't really have people skills, so I've never dated. But you know."  
  
Yugi nodded, trying to understand. "Sure, you can go if you want--"  
  
"I want to go with *you*." Kaiba leaned in and pressed his lips lightly against Yugi's. "Meet me here ahead of time, okay?"  
  
Yugi nodded, unable to speak.  
  
~~~  
  
Duke smiled at Kaiba and Yugi, but finally had to interrupt their kissing. "Are we going or not?"  
  
Yugi looked up at Duke, giggling. "Yeah, sorry."  
  
Duke put his arm around Yugi's shoulders as they began to walk. "Oh, quite alright that my best friend is getting more action than me."  
  
Kaiba wrapped his arm around Yugi's small waist protectively, leaning his head against Yugi's. "So where are we going?"  
  
Duke held up a flyer. "There's a *party* tonight!" he sang out.  
  
"A party?" Yugi asked thoughtfully. "What do you think?" he asked looking up at Kaiba.  
  
Kaiba lightly tucked his finger into Yugi's belt loop. "Well...I don't know about you, but being a freshman doesn't make me feel all that welcome. Maybe we should skip this one."  
  
Duke sighed. "God, you guys are so boring!" He opened up the door to the room he shared with another guy. He cleared his throat. "Carl, you forgot to rubber band the door." He closed the door, turning back to the lovers. "Occupied," he smiled. He stuck his hands in his pockets as they kept walking. "So we're gay...or bi," he shot a look at Kaiba. "The worse that could happened is someone tries to start a fight with us. And Kaiba can handle that."  
  
Kaiba growled at Duke. "Then why even go? Parties are just an excuse to get drunk, do drugs, and fuck."  
  
"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! I need to get laid. Seriously. You two can--"  
  
"Enough! Duke's going, I'm going, and you Kaiba can do what you want!" Yugi burst out annoyed.  
  
Kaiba stopped and stared at Yugi. "Well, okay." He looked down. "Damn..." he said softly.  
  
Duke smiled wide. "So you joining us?"  
  
Kaiba shrugged, dropping his arm from Yugi. He ran his hand through his brunette hair. He sighed. "Yeah, I'll be there." He adjusted the strap of his laptop. "I got some studying to do, I'll see you later." He headed off in another direction.  
  
Duke sighed. "Jeesh..." he placed his arm around Yugi's shoulders. "Art?"  
  
"Art."  
  
~~~  
  
A blond flash ran up to Yugi. "Hey! Yug! Ya showed up!"  
  
Yugi stepped back a bit, startled by Joey. "Hey...Joey...I haven't seen you lately. What's up?"  
  
Joey laughed. "You know, have to keep up with the scholarships."  
  
A guy came up and handed Joey a plastic cup. "Do your friends want any?"  
  
Yugi was about to speak up, but Joey slipped his arm around his shoulder and pushed Duke and Kaiba out of the way. "Come on, we're at a party, Yugi."  
  
Yugi looked up at Joey and nodded. "Yeah, sure."  
  
"Here, lets go get some."  
  
Kaiba was about to say something but Duke stopped him. "Look, let him have some fun. It won't hurt."  
  
Kaiba sighed and left Duke. Duke crossed his arms, pissed. "Jesus. What a baby." 


	2. Chapter 2

Kaiba was not having a good time, to say the least. The only reason he stayed was to keep an eye on Yugi. And what an eyeful he was getting, though he was finding Joey a bit more interesting. He wasn't just drunk, Kaiba decided. In fact, he had seen him pop a pill behind Yugi's back. He watched Joey and Yugi dance and yes, was jealous. He sighed, leaning his head on his fist. Duke sat down next to him. "We're the only fags," he said with disgust.  
  
"What do you think he's on?" Kaiba asked, gesturing towards Joey.  
  
"Huh? Look at him, he's a fucking raver. He's been to a rave every night for the last five Saturdays. Consider the options. Coke, weed, ecstasy, or maybe even all three."  
  
"I just never saw Joey as the type to do drugs. It doesn't make sense."  
  
"Joey's had a fucked up life. I guess when Yugi was gone for a summer, things happened. Hey, I'm not saying I've never done drugs. But certainly not two of the three." He smiled. "Ah, Yugi will be fine, don't worry."  
  
"It's not Yugi I'm really worried about. Yugi's got enough sense. But Joey? He could easily kill himself." Kaiba covered his ears. "Is this music LOUD ENOUGH?! JESUS! I'm fucking leaving." Kaiba stood up and walked over to where Joey and Yugi were dancing. "Yugi...I think it's time to leave."  
  
Duke crossed his arms, entertained. Boyfriend or crush? This was going to be interesting.  
  
"Kaiba! Hey!" He pulled Kaiba close.  
  
Kaiba crossed his arms. "Yugi, it's time to go," he said in a testy voice. "Lets go!"  
  
Yugi stopped and stared at Kaiba. "You need to relax. What's your problem?"  
  
"It's getting late, and I think you need to lie down. How much did you drink?"  
  
"Not that much...a couple glasses..."  
  
Joey stopped dancing and leaned in. "Is everything okay here?"  
  
Kaiba shot Joey a look. "No, it's not. It's time we left."  
  
"Then go. Me and Yugi will be *fine*. We'll be back by tomorrow...afternoon..." he laughed.  
  
"Yugi...we're going *now*."  
  
Duke shook his head and grabbed Yugi by the arm. "Get Joey," he said over his shoulder.  
  
~~~  
  
Kaiba held his head in his hands. "What were you thinking? Drinking?"  
  
"It was just some innocent fun...I'm not drunk, just a bit...buzzed..." he giggled.  
  
"Well, Joey's obviously...something..." Duke referred to the sound of Joey puking into their trashcan.  
  
"So...he drank more than me...I don't see--"  
  
A knock at the door interrupted him. Duke went over and answered it. "Yes?"  
  
"Hey, we need to talk to Joey."  
  
"I'm sorry, he's a bit--"  
  
"Out of my way, faggot," the guy pushed past Duke.  
  
Kaiba looked up at the guy, the guy who had attacked Yugi. He stood and backed up.  
  
The guy smiled. He motioned for his lackeys to grab Kaiba. They dragged him out into the hallway. "There's a plus, but this is why I'm really here." He grabbed Joey by the shoulder.  
  
Joey sucked in his breath, set down the trashcan, and shakily stood up. "I'll get the money. I promise. Just relax. I--"  
  
The guy knock him back down. "Listen you little shit, I'm tired of waiting. Either you have the money now or you don't. Where is it?!" He knocked Joey in the face with his fist.  
  
"Stop it!" Yugi screamed. "What's going on, Joey?"  
  
Duke caught Yugi by the elbow. "Stop it, you idiot."  
  
Joey looked down. "It's...it's just..."  
  
"Shut up! Get the fucking money!" He hit Joey again.  
  
Kaiba came dragging himself in, bleeding. "He'll get the money to you tomorrow. Meet him in the common room tomorrow. He'll have all of it."  
  
The guy back-handed Joey one last time. "Really, how's he going to do that?"  
  
"Yeah, how am I?"  
  
Kaiba shot Joey a withering look. "How much does he owe?"  
  
"Five-hundred and seventy-three dollars."  
  
"Holy fucking shit...yeah, all of it, tomorrow."  
  
The guy mockingly bowed to Kaiba. "Tomorrow then."  
  
~~~  
  
"What the fuck is going on?! Who was that, Joey?" Kaiba grabbed Joey by the arm.  
  
Joey looked away. "It was no one. I don't to talk about it."  
  
Kaiba pushed Joey against the bathroom wall. "Look here you little bitch! I just got the shit beat out of me by your drug dealer's bitches! I'm paying your fucking crack debt! What the fuck do you owe that much money for?!"  
  
"I..." He splashed his face with some water. "Nothing."  
  
Kaiba grabbed Joey's arm and twisted it behind his back. "What the fuck are you on?! I saw you take a pill, what the hell was it?! Tell me, you fucking dog!"  
  
"STOP!" Joey screamed.  
  
"Tell me!"  
  
"Stop it you two!"  
  
Kaiba dropped his arms to his side. "Yugi..."  
  
"You're fucking sick! What the hell are you doing to him?"  
  
"Yugi, I--"  
  
"I can't believe you, Kaiba. After all that he's been through tonight!"  
  
Kaiba shook his head. "You know what? Fuck you, Yugi. This fucking dog ignores you for the last two months and the minute he wants to spend time with you, you drop me like a bad habit. And I'm offering to help him out financially and all I ask for is to know what I'm paying for!"  
  
"Paying for?"  
  
"The guys obviously a drug dealer, Yugi. Why else would Joey owe that much money?"  
  
Joey lit a cigarette. "Stay in your own business, Kaiba."  
  
"Joey, you said you didn't smoke anymore."  
  
"I lied."  
  
"Did you lie about the ecstasy, too?"  
  
Joey gave Yugi a side-long glance. "Uh...Yugi...Yug..."  
  
"Is that it, Joey? Twenty-five bucks a pop? You--pardon, *I* owe half a grand over a hallucinogenic speed hit?!"  
  
"You take ecstasy?!"  
  
"Not...not...*just* ecstasy..." Joey sighed and fell onto the floor.  
  
"What, what else am I paying for? You know how weird it's going to look me pulling six hundred dollars out of my bank account? What else have you been taking?"  
  
"Some coke...some...some...uh, weed..."  
  
Kaiba shook his head. "I'll be in the room...see you both tomorrow."  
  
Yugi sat next to Joey. "Why are you doing this to yourself?"  
  
"I'm not doing anything, Yugi. I'm finally making my life...not shit."  
  
Yugi placed his hand on Joey's knee. "I don't understand."  
  
"My life's shit, Yugi. My dad beats me, my sister and mom live half-way across the country, and I'm fucking working as hard as I can to get minimum grades! I need a break on the weekends and I need the pick-me-ups in morning."  
  
"You need to rot your mind? What the fuck, Joey?"  
  
"Oh come on, Yugi! All those rumors aren't true! You should just try it! Once and you'll totally get it!" Joey grabbed Yugi by the arm. "Come on, Yugi!"  
  
Yugi stared at Joey in disbelief. "Are you trying to push drugs on me?" Yugi stood up. "What is with you, Joey? You've changed."  
  
"I've changed? You've changed! Look at you, Yugi! What happened to my best friend, huh?"  
  
"Funny, I was asking the same thing." He looked away from Joey. "So I've found something besides Duel Monsters that I'm good at. What are you doing? What you're always good at? Following me wherever I go? Imitating whatever I do?"  
  
"Fuck you, Yugi! I can't believe you!"  
  
"I can't believe you."  
  
~~~  
  
Duke looked up from his magazine. "Kaiba? What's wrong?"  
  
Kaiba sat down hard. "Joey's using all three. Splendid, huh? And I'm footing the bill. And Yugi's madly in love with Joey. So why do I care? Huh? What's the fucking point?"  
  
"There's never a point. It's all about feeling good for the moment. We all die, Kaiba. So you might as well live it up while we're here."  
  
"Nice words to live by, but there's certainly more to live for."  
  
Duke sat up, amused and intrigued. "Really?" he sat forward. "What else is there?"  
  
"There's...well, like..." Kaiba laughed a bit. "The corny things. Like...love..."  
  
"Love? You don't honestly believe in love? Love is something women want and guys pretend to believe in to get laid."  
  
"See? That's why you'll never find love. So many jaded people have gotten their hearts broken that they feed people who have never even looked for it these little notions that we're all going to die alone. I hate it! Don't we all deserve a chance?"  
  
Duke shrugged. "Well, sure...but since when do you care? You act awfully jaded to me."  
  
"Maybe I am." Kaiba stood up and walked over to his bed, laying down. "But maybe that's why it hurts so much."  
  
Duke shrugged. "Look, go get yourself laid. It will put things in perspective."  
  
Kaiba hugged his pillow close. "I don't want to 'get laid.' I want..."  
  
"Love, I get it. Yugi's got this little notion that it exists, too. Maybe you'll end up together, who knows? But honestly, I think you're all nuts. Life's about living it up and living for the moment. So whatever. Go ahead, be a dreamer. You'll die alone that way, too."  
  
"What are you saying to him?"  
  
Duke whirled around. "Yugi...hey...we were talking."  
  
"I heard," Yugi said real testily. He looked over at Kaiba. "Kaiba?"  
  
After several silent seconds, Kaiba finally answered, "Yes, Yugi?"  
  
Yugi slowly walked over to Kaiba. "Is everything okay?"  
  
"Is Joey okay?" he asked softly.  
  
"Yeah...he's fine...How about you?" Yugi leaned in and tilted his head to one side.  
  
"Yeah...fine..."  
  
Yugi got on his knees next to Kaiba. "Kaiba, look at me. What's wrong?"  
  
"Just go to bed," Kaiba said softly.  
  
Yugi leaned his head against Kaiba. "Why are you being like this?"  
  
"Go to bed, Yugi."  
  
Yugi looked up at Duke. Their eyes met, then Duke looked away. (I've really fucked up...he thought.) "Good night guys."  
  
Once Duke was gone, Yugi grabbed Kaiba's shoulder and forced him to meet his glance. "Why are being like this?"  
  
"Because you like Joey and will never like me the same way." Kaiba sat up, drawing his knees to his chest, and leaned against the wall. "You're in love with him and I'm just the guy that distracts you long enough. I'm sick of it and...enough is enough."  
  
"You knew I liked him when you asked me out."  
  
"Then why did you say yes?"  
  
Yugi sat down on the edge of the bed and was silent.  
  
"See--?"  
  
"Because I liked you."  
  
"And you had more of a chance, I get it."  
  
"No! Kaiba!"  
  
Kaiba shook his head. "You know, Yugi, don't even bother. I get it. Stop it, because I'm sick of thinking you care about me."  
  
"I do!"  
  
"You care about everyone."  
  
"Well, you're one to talk, what's this thing with helping Joey out?"  
  
"Who else is? Besides, I did it for you. I couldn't care less about Joey."  
  
"There's a problem right there."  
  
"No..." Kaiba gave a half hearted smile. "No, that wasn't a problem. Joey wasn't ever there. He didn't even know we were dating!" Kaiba laughed. "For God's sake, Yugi. Wake up. Your friend is a fucking drugged-out abuse victim who is always going to need you there to take care of him. When you guys were first friends, you tried to defend him against that one guy, then when he needed star chips, you were there. The Time Wizard card, the...EVERYTHING! And what have you done for me? Fuck, you won't even kiss me in public. We have a fucked up relationship, so we might as well end it!"  
  
"I won't kiss you in public because I'm not open about it!"  
  
"You won't kiss me in front of anyone except Duke! What about the GLBTA meetings? It's like we're not even dorm-mates. You and Duke are off laughing and talking with the other artists while I'm left just sitting there feeling so out of place. But it didn't bother me. I love you and I was totally willing to make sacrifices to see you happy."  
  
"Wait--did you just say you love me?"  
  
"Yeah, Yugi, I did. I really, really love you. But I can't...compete with that dog." Kaiba looked down, defeated. "I have to go get some money in the morning. Good night, Yugi."  
  
"Kaiba...where do we stand?"  
  
"Alone," Kaiba snapped back at him. 


	3. chapter 3

~~~  
  
Kaiba looked over at Joey, his head down. It had been exactly 10 minutes from paying off his debt and neither had said a word. Finally, he said, "I won't be there to bail you out next time. I was only doing this for Yugi. So if you for some stupid reason want to keep taking drugs, at least make sure you only buy what you have the money for."  
  
"Did you guys break up over me?"  
  
"What?! How did you--?"  
  
"I over heard you guys talking the other day. And this morning Yugi kept shooting you dirty looks. So is it my fault?"  
  
"Among other things, yes. Mostly you."  
  
"Why me?"  
  
"Because I can't stand you and Yugi is in love with you. But, opps, you're not even suppose to know he's gay," Kaiba spat out angrily.  
  
"Yugi's in love with me?"  
  
"You think?! God, Joey, you can't even fucking notice that this great guy right in front of you is head over heels in love with you and would do *anything* for you?"  
  
"No, can't say I have. I thought we were friends." He looked down. "Besides," he said softly, "I like you."  
  
Kaiba nearly fell out of his seat. "What?!"  
  
Joey stood up quick and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I have class. I'll see you later."  
  
Kaiba shook his head, then held it in his hands. Fuck...  
  
~~~  
  
"Mmmmmm....."  
  
Duke looked up from his text book and smiled. "I think someone's having a nice dream."  
  
Yugi boredly looked over at Kaiba, sleeping. "What?"  
  
"Oh yeah...mmphh..."  
  
Duke smiled at Yugi devilishly. "I wonder if he's thinking about you."  
  
Joey slammed the door. "Of course he's having a nut over Yugi."  
  
Yugi looked up and smiled. "Joey, hey...how are you?"  
  
Joey stared at them, bored. "Get the fuck off my bed."  
  
Yugi slide off onto the floor, feeling betrayed. "Duke, come on...lets go to the library."  
  
Duke began gathering his books together. "Nah...I have a date, anyway. I'll see you later, Yugi." He shot a dirty look at Joey.  
  
Yugi looked uncomfortable at Joey. "Is everything okay?"  
  
"I fucking need some coke..." he whined.  
  
Yugi looked down at his book. Joey laid down on his bed and began to moan, holding his head in his hands. He noticed Yugi wipe at his eye several times and sniffed.  
  
"Yugi," Joey said softly.  
  
Yugi held his head in his hands. "Yes, Joey?"  
  
"Don't cry. Please?"  
  
"I'm not," he said, his voice getting even softer.  
  
Joey pulled Yugi close and got him onto the bed. They laid in the spoon position, listening to their irregular heart beats and Kaiba's moans.  
  
Yugi began to softly sob, his small frame shaking against Joey. "Shh...shh...shhhhh..." Joey whispered, shaking. "Don't...don't cry. Everything's going to be okay. We'll get through this...together...I promise...I love...I love you, Yugi..."  
  
Yugi placed his hand on Joey's arms. "I love you, too, Joey." He ran his fingers over Joey's cut up arm. "Please don't kill yourself."  
  
"Please always be here, Yugi. Forever."  
  
"Forever...I promise."  
  
~~~  
  
Kaiba groaned and took a shower, then changed his sheets. His glance kept wondering over to Yugi and Joey, but tried not to feel too bad. He sat at his desk and began to read by his small lamp light.  
  
Suddenly, someone began pounding at the door. "Yugi, open up, open up! Yugi!"  
  
Kaiba jumped up and opened the door. "Duke, what's--?"  
  
Duke fell into Kaiba's arms sobbing. "Oh my God...Kaiba..." was all he could get out.  
  
Kaiba led Duke to his bed. "Are you okay? What happened?"  
  
"I...I had a date..." Duke took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "And...he showed up to my dorm with a couple of other guys..."  
  
Kaiba stroked Duke's cheek. "Are you okay?"  
  
"They held me down and took turns rapping me. And you know what Blake said as they were leaving? I asked him why. And he said, 'Cause guys like you are easy.'" Duke looked into Kaiba's eyes. "Am I really easy? That easy? Do I invite people to do stuff like that to me?"  
  
Kaiba tried to say something, but failed. He finally said, "Duke, you don't deserve that."  
  
"But I invite it, right? I know I do. I'm an easy fag and guys like me deserve to be treated the way we are." Duke looked down. "But you know? I was wrong. It's not about the moments. Moments hurt. It's about...finding someone who wants...the time together...to be more than just a moment."  
  
Kaiba hugged Duke close. "You don't deserve this, Duke. You're a wonderful person and if I could do anything it would to make sure you got your happiness."  
  
Duke smiled and shook his head. "Whatever...I know that wouldn't be your first wish. Just...just do me a...two favors..."  
  
"Yes?" Kaiba asked concerned.  
  
"Just...don't tell Yugi. He's still innocent. And I don't want him knocked out of that state of mind. Just...please...between you and me..."  
  
Kaiba nodded. "I understand...but I'm concerned about you. What else do you need?"  
  
"Can I sleep in here? My roommate isn't here tonight. Please?"  
  
Kaiba smiled and lightly touched Duke's cheek. "Yeah...go ahead...you can have the bed."  
  
Duke shook his head. "Yugi's bed is free. I'll take that one." Kaiba's eyes wondered to Joey and Yugi. Duke kissed Kaiba on the cheek. "I'm working as hard as I can with Yugi. I know you love him."  
  
Kaiba shook his head. "Maybe I do. But we're in a love triangle and I just assume not get involved. I want Yugi happy...and it won't be with me."  
  
~~~  
  
Duke pocked Kaiba. "Kaiba, wake up."  
  
Kaiba moaned and turned over. He picked up his alarm clock and moaned. "Duke? It's 4 in the morning."  
  
Duke sat on the edge of the bed. "Kaiba? Am I attractive?"  
  
Kaiba stared at Duke. "What?" he whispered in disbelief. "You woke me up for this?"  
  
"Please just answer, Kaiba," Duke begged softly.  
  
"Yeah, you're very attractive. Since when don't you notice that?"  
  
"I..." Duke wiped at his eyes. "How come no one likes me?"  
  
Kaiba placed his hand on Duke's knee. "I like you."  
  
Duke turned away. "You know what I mean. No one likes me that way. Why?"  
  
Kaiba sat up and wrapped his arms around Duke, leaned in and whispered, "Maybe because you're too unapproachable. You're hot and everyone knows that. Including you. No one likes a person like that."  
  
Duke sucked in a shaky breath. "Kaiba? Why do you like Yugi?"  
  
Kaiba pressed himself harder against Duke and said even more breathlessly. "I don't know anymore." He began to softly kiss at Duke's neck.  
  
"Kaiba?" Duke said, trying to ignore the hand that was wondering up his shirt.  
  
Kaiba began to suck at Duke's neck.  
  
Duke rolled his shoulder, trying to get Kaiba off him. "What are you doing?" Duke stood up. "Stop it, Kaiba. I'm not a sex toy. You can forget about calling me a friend. I just fucking bawled out to you and all you can think about is getting into my pants! Well fuck you, Kaiba. I'm not a slut!"  
  
Kaiba turned away. "I never said you were. Sorry I offended you."  
  
"What's that suppose to mean?" Duke put his hands on his hips.  
  
"I like you, Duke. Jesus. I thought...fuck it, I don't know what I thought. I'm never going to get Yugi back. I've realized that. And it fucking hurts! I feel my mind clawing at itself to get rid of any ounce of happiness I've ever had because it was with HIM. I've been alone practically my entire life! And I'm going to die alone! So why not buy into it? Why not act on physical attraction alone? Because...the minute I let someone in, they smack me in the face and tell me I don't matter. I don't matter to anyone. All I've ever had gets taken away from me. I had a mom, she died giving birth to the brother I cherished so much who's now dead. I had a dad, he died. I had an adopted father who abused me and an adopted brother who only wanted revenge on me since I was the heir to his father's estate. So why not stop caring? No one cares about me so I might as well fucking LIVE IN THE MOMENT. You were right, Duke. Moments hurt, but there's no way in hell any of us are ever going to find anything that lasts longer except hurt and pain!"  
  
Yugi tightened his fists, but kept silent. He didn't want Kaiba to know he was listening.  
  
"My life is shit but hey, I'm a genius and I own a multi-billion dollar business. What more could I ask for? To be happy? I should fucking be happy with what I got. So I am! Listen to me, I'm happy!" Kaiba narrowed his eyes at Duke. "Thanks for rejecting me. It's what I needed." He stood up, pulling on a pair of pants, and left.  
  
Duke fell onto the bed hard and began to sob.  
  
Yugi moved in closer to Joey and closed his eyes. 


	4. Chapter 4

~~~  
  
Looking over at the bright lights, Kaiba spread his arms out and looked up at the sky. He was standing on the ledge of his company's main office building, twenty stories in the air. Closing his eyes, he began to hum real low.  
  
"Stop it."  
  
Kaiba looked over his shoulder, into Joey's clear brown eyes. "What?" he asked surprised.  
  
"Get down from there. I don't care what you're doing, just get down from there."  
  
"Who do you think you are telling me what to do, huh?" He turned his head back to look at all the dazzling lights. "I make my own choices and no one, certainly not a fucking druggie like you, is going to stop me."  
  
"Do you think suicide will really make everything better?"  
  
Kaiba glared at Joey, annoyed. "No one asked you. Get the fuck out of here. I could get you for trespassing."  
  
"Except, if you really was going to, you'd be dead."  
  
"How'd you get up here, anyway?" Kaiba asked, turning his body and slowly beginning to walk across the ledge.  
  
"I followed you."  
  
Kaiba stopped and looked at him. "Why?" he asked before loosing his balance.  
  
Joey ran and grabbed Kaiba's hand. "Get down from there right now!"  
  
Kaiba grabbed his hand away. "Fuck you! I don't need to listen to you!"  
  
"You're going to die!"  
  
Kaiba pulled out a handgun and held it against his right temple. "I could kill myself right now. I could at any point. Do you think I care?"  
  
"Jesus, Kaiba! So you got dumped, it's not the end of the world!"  
  
"I wasn't dumped. I was rejected. Because he loves you more than me."  
  
"I'm real sorry you're having a little conniption fit over the fact you weren't good enough for someone. We all get rejected at least once in our life--"  
  
"Name one time you were."  
  
"You rejected me. And I'm still doing the best I can. Fuck, I'm not perfect, but you don't see me attempting suicide!"  
  
"Look at your damn wrist, you hypocrite!" Kaiba turned and began walking back where he had started, still holding the gun to his head.  
  
"I was releasing pain! It takes a lot more to kill yourself!"  
  
"This is my version of releasing pain. I might die, but you could have, too. Just leave me alone!"  
  
"I know what you're doing. You're not trying, but you're hoping--fuck, you're *praying* that this is it! The end! Why, Kaiba, *why*? This is so stupid, people care about you!"  
  
"Like who?" Kaiba asked in a cold voice. "No one cares. I'm Kaiba, rich and smart. Everyone who's ever cared for me is *dead*." His voice became softer and stained with tears, "And they're not coming back."  
  
"Maybe not, Kaiba. But this isn't the way to see them again."  
  
"I'm not fucking trying to see them!" he screamed at Joey. "You don't know shit! Whenever life got hard, you had a best friend there. I never have. You know why? They *die*! They reject me!"  
  
"Damnit, Kaiba, I care about you! I still do, after all the shit you've ever said and done to me. It didn't matter because deep in my heart I knew that someday you'd love me back. I just *knew* you would."  
  
Kaiba stopped walking and looked at him, dropping the gun from his head.  
  
"So what if I was wrong? It doesn't change the way I feel. You may never see me as anything more than annoying little dog but I see you as so much more. You're so fucking beautiful and you don't even know it. Each step you take is like...a fucking dancer. You're voice, even when you're yelling at me, gives me this happy feeling inside, knowing you're near. God, when you first walked into the dorm room...I thought I was going to die I was so happy. You shot me this withering look, like 'look at the pathetic dog,' but God, it was a look, just for me. You noticed me, even if you probably wanted me to disappear. That's how it always was. I wanted to measure up, I wanted to be an equal advisory to you. I wanted you to think about me, even if it was just competitively like with Yugi. Why can't you give me that, Kaiba? You can give me the money for my drugs, but you can't even treat me with an ounce of respect." Joey looked down, his eyes now covered by his long blond bangs. "Jump if you want to. I just couldn't let you die without hearing my pathetic excuse."  
  
Kaiba watched Joey for several minutes. He pocketed the gun and jumped down from the ledge, back onto the roof. He walked over to Joey and hugged him close. "Thank you," he whispered.  
  
Joey had been caught off-guard by this and found himself nearly passing out in Kaiba's arms. "Kaiba, I--"  
  
Kaiba hugged Joey closer. "I never meant to reject you, Joey," he finally said.  
  
"It's okay, it's alright. I don't expect you to start liking me or anything. Just...don't kill yourself. Please."  
  
Kaiba leaned back and stared into Joey's eyes. "God...I wish I could tell you I loved you back. I really do."  
  
Joey shrugged. "I don't want you to. Just...please stop being so mean to me. Please..." he begged softly.  
  
Kaiba brushed Joey's bangs out of his face. "I promise I'll be a lot nicer to you."  
  
Joey ran his hand over Kaiba's soft skin. "Please...will you kiss me? So I know how it feels?"  
  
Kaiba smiled, leaning in. He softly pressed his lips against Joey's and began to suck on his lower lip. Joey tilted his head, slowly running his tongue over Kaiba's upper lip. They stood there, on top the building, just enjoying each other's company. And kissing.  
  
~~~ 


	5. Chapter 5

Kaiba gently dropped his alarm clock into the box he was packing up. The end of the semester had come and it was time to move out. Kaiba looked at Yugi from the corner of his eye, who was having a small cry, holding Joey's sweatshirt in his lap.  
  
Joey had died a couple of weeks after the night they had kissed of an O.D. It had hit Kaiba just as hard as Yugi, Kaiba having begun to get to know Joey better.  
  
Kaiba and Yugi would sometimes hold each other, crying, and end up making out. Once it went all the way to losing their virginity to each other, needing the other's comfort so bad. But their relationship never came around again and they were both alone at the end of it.  
  
Kaiba had so many things he wanted to say to Yugi now, but couldn't. He was dying inside, maybe worse than Yugi. Moving out would make it official. He was never going to wake up with the sound of Yugi and Joey laughing. He would never scream "stupid dog" at the top of his lungs. He would never get to see if Joey had been the right one. He would never have the chance to be rescued from himself by someone who needed him so bad. It was the end now. Fuck, another beginning. But Kaiba didn't want to begin his new life. He wanted the everyday familiarity to stay with him. He wanted to see Joey laughing while making them breakfast. He wanted the late night cram sessions. He even wanted the late night worrying that Joey wasn't coming home, just to have him show up past midnight, tripping on whatever. He wanted to be able to yell at him for making him worry so much and for ruining his life the way he was. Kaiba wanted Joey back more than he wanted anything.  
  
He sat down next to Yugi and wrapped his arms around Yugi's thin shoulders. "It'll be okay," he whispered. They had arranged that Yugi was going to stay at Kaiba's for the summer...maybe even longer.  
  
Yugi sniffed and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. He looked up at Kaiba.  
  
Kaiba had gotten used to seeing smeared eyeliner on Yugi's face, as everyone had. Everything held a memory in it and each memory only held pain for now.  
  
Kaiba kissed Yugi briefly on the lips. Pressing his forehead against Yugi's, he whispered, "Joey's looking down on us, saying, 'You idiots, don't cry. Suck it up.'"  
  
Yugi sadly smiled. "You don't believe in a heaven."  
  
"I believe Joey's somewhere and happy wherever he's at."  
  
"Happy?" Yugi asked, a new set of tears forming.  
  
"Yeah, he is. He misses us, I know he does. But he's still here. And he's happy."  
  
"How can you say that?"  
  
"Life was hard for him. Now he gets his break. And I know he's enjoying himself where ever he is."  
  
Yugi buried his head into Kaiba's shirt. "God, I want to see him again. Please let me see him again..." he cried.  
  
"I wish I could, Yugi. I miss him, too."  
  
Yugi began to cry harder. And all Kaiba could do was hold him. 


End file.
